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My Quotes on Death

2009-03-27T00:34:00.002+05:30

"Death is a celebration in Heaven"

"Death is the destination of Life"

"In the end nothing matters"

"Live everyday like its your Last"

The Dying Men

2008-09-23T12:42:00.000+05:30

“All I see is darkness around me”
Said one on the death bed to the other,
“My world is becoming dim day by day,
I see a pitch dark narrowing path ahead”

“All I see is white light around me”
Said the other on the death bed
“My world is becoming brighter by the second,
I see an ever-bright glowing path ahead”

“I see myself stabbing another with a dagger of hatred,
Piercing the peaceful minds with shards of anger,
Drowning the like in a pool of jealously”
Said one to the other

“I see myself giving a coin of hope to the poor,
Extending a helping hand to the needy,
Loving all alike”
Said the other

“The darkness is engulfing me,
Hold me, Help me,
I am trapped, I am dying”
Said one

“The light is embracing me,
Leave me, Let me go,
For I am free, I am finally Home”
Said the other

The Realization

2007-05-30T00:36:00.000+05:30

I breathe my last worldly whiff as I lay on my bed
The morose faces staring at my withered visage
As my chest contracted for one last time
My eyes closed and then silence followed

I suddenly opened them in amazement
And with a dash of energy got upright
The gloomy faces still staring through me
Even as I turned behind

I was still there lying on the bed
Or was it only my body?
A million thoughts swooped my mind
Was ‘I’ really the body?

I dashed for the bed and jumped into my body
Desperately trying to get back into the fleeting world
To erase my sins and wrong doings
To bask always in the glory of my true Self

Then a bright light flashed brilliantly
As a heavenly halo filled the room
And an etheric Angel descended down
She came towards me smiling

Her sweet voice echoed ‘Thou art free’
Peace instantly swept across my being
‘Thou was never the body dear brother,
Thou was in delusion all these years’

I thought to myself all these years
I have lived as someone else in ignorance
The relatives, the possessions everything I thought
Belonged to this body and not ‘Me’

The mellifluous voice said ‘Fear not
Thou shall have another chance later
Now let us go to our Father’s house
He is anxiously awaiting Your return’

Biorhythms - Swami Satyananda Saraswati

2007-04-02T16:14:00.000+05:30

“The concept of biorhythm is based on three basic rhythms, a 23 day cycle within the physical body, a 28 day emotional or sensitivity cycle and a 33 day intellectual cycle. There is a varied interaction between these cycles which results in our moods, our ups and downs. The interactions are predictable and can be worked out by mathematical formulae on slide rules or small pocket calculators. Thus we may be able to predict our good and bad days, those times when we should be careful with our health and so on.”

The Five Koshas

2007-03-24T22:34:00.000+05:30

The five Sheaths (Koshas) are the layers that veil the True Self.

“In ascending order from matter to Spirit, the five natural evolutionary stages of life are results of these five sheaths. When one by one the sheaths are unfolded, there is a corresponding manifestation of a progressively higher expression of life.”
- Sri Paramahansa Yogananda

The Divine Mother

2007-03-20T01:21:00.000+05:30

The Divine Mother is the Goddess Kali (काली). She is everything that was, everything that is, and everything that is going to be. To the Mother I say “I am made in your image, I have waited for many lifetimes, praying to Thee, Why do you hide oh Mother. I Love Thee dearly more than anything in this world, hear my cry oh Mother. I wish my soul is always directed towards you, and that I always love You. I have sinned as an innocent child unknown of my actions, I ask for Your forgiveness. Oh Mother I give you my hearts call, take me in Your arms, remove all my sins and delusion, please reveal Thyself oh Mother, reveal Thyself!”

Source: Wikipedia

Form of Goddess Kali
Kali has four hands, two of which depict Her creative aspect and the other two Her destructive aspect.
Her colour is black because black is the colour in which all others colours merge, so all forms disappear in Her, Hence the black colour symbolizes Her transcendence nature.
She wears a garland of 51 human heads each of which depict the 51 alphabets of the Sanskrit language, symbolizing the repository of knowledge and wisdom.
She wears a covering of human hands that are the principle instruments of work and so signifying the action of karma. Hence every aspect of the form of Goddess Kali has a symbolic meaning.

Six Verses on Nirvana

2007-03-18T00:37:00.000+05:30

The Nirvana Shatkam, or Six Verses on Nirvana, explains Adi Shankara’s theory of non-dualism. Deeply meditating on the meaning of the verse will slowly expand the consciousness. Hear the verse at http://www.esamskriti.com/music/shivoham.html

Verse 1
Mano budhya ahankara chithaa ninaham,
Na cha srothra jihwe na cha graana nethrer,
Na cha vyoma bhoomir na thejo na vayu,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

Neither am I mind, nor intelligence ,
Nor ego, nor thought,
Nor am I ears or the tongue or the nose or the eyes,
Nor am I earth or sky or air or the light,
But I am Shiva the all pervading happiness,
Yes ,I am definitely Shiva.

Verse 2
Na cha praana samgno na vai pancha vaayur,
Na vaa saptha dhathur na va pancha kosa,
Na vak pani padam na chopa stha payu,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham

Neither am I the movement due to life,
Nor am I the five airs, nor am I the seven elements,
Nor am I the five internal organs,
Nor am I voice or hands or feet or other organs,
But I am Shiva the all pervading happiness,
Yes ,I am definitely Shiva

Verse 3
Na me dwesha raghou na me lobha mohou,
Madho naiva me naiva matsarya bhava,
Na dharmo na cha artha na kamo na moksha,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

I never do have enmity or friendship,
Neither do I have vigour nor feeling of competition,
Neither do I have assets, or money or passion or salvation,
But I am Shiva the all pervading happiness,
Yes ,I am definitely Shiva

Verse 4
Na punyam na paapam na soukhyam na dukham,
Na manthro na theertham na veda na yagna,
Aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhoktha,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

Never do I have good deeds or sins or pleasure or sorrow,
Neither do I have holy chants or holy water or holy books or fire sacrifice,
I am neither food or the consumer who consumes food,
As I am Shiva the all pervading happiness,
Yes ,I am definitely Shiva

Verse 5
Na mruthyur na sankha na me jathi bhedha,
Pitha naiva me naiva matha na janma,
Na bhandhur na mithram gurur naiva sishya,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

I do not have death or doubts or distinction of caste,
I do not have either father or mother or even birth,
And I do not have relations or friends or teacher or students,
As I am Shiva the all pervading happiness,
Yes ,I am definitely Shiva

Verse 6
Aham nirvi kalpi nirakara roopi,
Vibhuthwascha sarvathra sarvendriyanaam,
Na cha sangatham naiva mukthir na meya
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

I am one without doubts , I am without form,
Due to knowledge I do not have any relation with my organs,
And I am always redeemed,
And I am Shiva the all pervading happiness,
Yes ,I am definitely Shiva

Superiority of The Self

2007-03-13T12:58:00.000+05:30

The superiority of the Self is mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita III:42 as follows
“The senses are said to be superior (to the physical body); the mind is superior to the sense faculties; the intelligence is superior to the mind; but He (The Self) is superior to the intelligence.”

The Importance of Good Company

2007-02-27T23:55:00.000+05:30

The importance of the company of spiritual souls has been very well depicted in one of the verses of the Bhaja Govindam. Bhaja Govindam is a very popular hymn in Sanskrit composed by Adi Shankaracharya to foster bhakti(Love for God) in the hearts of devotees.
One of the Verses means
'From Good company (Satsangh) arises the quality of non-attachment, from non-attachment you get freedom from delusion, being free of delusion you become steadfast and from that arises liberation (Jeevan Mukti)'

The Lord Liveth There

2007-02-20T20:56:00.000+05:30

The priest says
Come to the church
the Lord liveth here

The pundit says
Come to the temple
the Lord liveth here

The prophet says
Come to the mosque
The Lord liveth here

The Lord says
Come to your hearts
I liveth there

Oasis of Eternal Bliss

2007-02-20T20:36:00.000+05:30

The scorched heat of the unmerciful sun, burning my burnt skin, but had to walk on, for I was in search of that elusive Oasis, in the midst of this eternal desert, ran away from the caged mindset of the house where I was born.

Had heard about this eternal Beatitude, not far away from home
As I walk this lonely arid place, in search of that Unseen

Part of my mind turning my feet towards from whence I came
Parched I was, thirsty I was, not a friendly sight in sight

Walked and walked, and walked a bit more
A mirage I could see, the hallucination of my Dream World

My mind getting weaker with each step, But my heart pulled me towards That
Then I tripped and got up and walked, till I tripped again, and the mind getting weaker and weaker.

Till I could no longer walk, lying in the sand I saw a horrid sight
Shriveled carcass of the departed, was this my fate, was this my fate
Strengthened my mind and gathered my will, again walked but not far
The mirage was still a mirage, Thought to myself will I ever make it.

Fell again on the flaming sand, but didn’t lose hope
Thence came an old man, was thin and lank and fresh as fresh

Pointing to those bones he said ‘Told them they should listen to me, as I know the Way’
Suddenly my spirit rose, told him to guide me to that Oasis
‘Followed your heart unto here, no effort shall go in vain
For those who are deluded and weak, by this fictious flames
Shall fall onto the sand, like a pack of sticks
From thence they shall arise again, to continue their journey
Look at the mirage and hear my words, It is as real as you believe to be’
And then he vanished in the air, from whence he came
I put my heart in his words, and with all I got, gave it a go

Looked at the mirage and said
Don’t deceive me no more for I have been following your path for a long time, through all the torture and still alive, with my devotion and the wisdom of my seer I have arose, to realize my dream which is as real as I have imagined it to be. For I shall not arise from whence I die, I shall drown in your ethereal ocean. Thy has been so evasive for that is how I think, I know now that Thou art omnipresent, I humbly command to reveal thyself, from where I shall sip from thine divine energy to free me from this burning Hades. Reveal thyself, Reveal thyself.

And Lo Behold! I am floating in this opalescent etheric beatitude, the multi colored rainbows, the glowing mountains, the sparkling ocean, Alas I am in my Paradise, My Dream World!

The Omnipresent spirit speaketh
‘Thou didn’t lose hope, thou has given up everything for Me, thou always believed in Me, Thou are very dear to Me, now thy shall never leave, now thy shall never leave!’

The Sins

2007-02-20T15:06:00.000+05:30

The semblance of the various sins described in the different religions is striking. When the Ego or ‘I’ consciousness has sided with the materialistic forces of creation, it is said to have these faults (sins).

click here for full size

The following excerpts are taken from
‘Bhagavad Gita’ by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
published by Yogoda Satsanga Society of India

Pride: Pride means the Love for the “I” or ego self that is constantly on the defensive (or offensive) to support and promote the interests of that self. Because of the mada, within the ego there arises arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, presumptuous behavior and passionate or wanton lust after the desires, interests, or demands of the “I, Me, and Mine”.

Jealousy/Envy: The word derives from matsara, meaning “envy jealousy, selfishness, hostility, passion for, exhilarating; intoxicative and addictive".

Lust: It is the compelling desire to indulge in sensory temptations. It applies to the abuse of any or all the senses in the pursuit of pleasure or gratification. Through the sense of sight man may lust after material, objects; through the sense of hearing , he craves the slow sweet poison of flattery, and vibratory sounds as of voices and music that rouse his material nature; through the lustful pleasure of smell he is enticed towards wrong environments and actions; lust for food and drink causes him to please his taste at the expense of health; through the sense of lusts after inordinate physical comfort and abuses his creative sex impulse.

Delusion: It is the basic attachment of the Ego, its indivisible cohesion to delusion, causing the mind to become darkened, unable to perceive what is truth and reality.
The basic meaning of the word is delusion, illusion, ignorance, bewilderment, infatuation and attachment.

Greed: The enslavement to whims, likes and dislikes is Greed
It is covetousness, avarice, acquisitiveness, a confusion of the mind between necessary necessities and unnecessary “necessities”

Anger: Desire that is frustrated leads in anger.
Attention > Contact > Desire > Unfulfilled > Anger > Delusion
Even if the anger is supposedly justified, so-called “righteous anger”, it must never take the place of calm, discriminating judgment and action

In sum, the principle practical evil that comes long with ego consciousness and its six faults is the increasing compulsion to forget ones Self-the soul-and its expression, manifestation, and requirements; and to become stubbornly inclined to engage oneself in pursuing the insatiable “necessities” of the ego.

References:
1: Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, ‘The Bhagavad Gita – Chpt I Verse 9’
2: Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche, ‘The significance and the benefits of the Six-Syllable Mantra recitation’.
http://www.kmspks.org/download/ebook/Ombk201205.pdf
3: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Para 1866,
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P6D.HTM

All is …, All is …

2007-01-13T23:49:00.000+05:30

Once upon a time there lived an old wise king
In search of the wisest heir,

Called all his men to the palatial halls
Set a test for them all

Said the king
“Who so ever shall see God in this temple
To him shall I pass on my kingdom”

All the kings’ wise men, All the kings’ priests, All the kings’ warriors
Went one by one in search of God

But none saw Him
None but one, a sweeper of the palatial halls

The king asked “What did thou see?”
He replied “I saw God”

Astonished the kings men were,
None of us but this lowly man

Said the king
“Tell me, Oh dear friend what is He like?”

Said the man
“God has made everything, He is in everything, and everything is God
I see the Lord in everything, I see the Lord as I stand in front of you
…. in this palace …. in my countrymen …. in each breath….
…. All is God, All is God ….”

Bowed the Great King in reverence and said
“Thou art truly worthy of my kingdom oh Great One!”

‘The Physical and Spiritual Rewards of Fasting’

2007-01-03T07:34:00.000+05:30

The following excerpts are taken from the book
‘Man’s Eternal Quest’ by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
published by Yogoda Satsanga Society of India

Fasting gives rest to the overworked organs, the bodily engines; and also to the life force itself, relieving it of the extra work. When you cease to make the life force feel it has to depend for its existence on external sources – food, water, oxygen, sun-shine – it becomes self –supporting, independent.

Excerpt 1 (pg 103)

A fast of three days on orange juice will repair the body temporarily, but a long fast (strictly under an experienced supervisor) will completely overhaul it. But if you want a permanent overhaul, then you must also watch at all times what, and how much, food you take into your body.

Excerpt 2 (pg 104)

There is great metaphysical science behind fasting. Jesus reminded us of the truth when he said: “Man shall not live by bread alone….” Two things keep you bound to the earth: breath and “bread”. In sleep, however, you are peaceful unaware of any need for either breath or food; your spirit is detached from body-consciousness. Fasting uplifts the mind in the same way.
Through fasting, let your mind depend on its own power. When that power manifests, the life force in the body becomes increasingly reinforced with the eternal energy continually flowing in to the brain and the spine from the cosmic energy around the body entering through the medulla. Becoming detached from the dependence on outer physical sources of bodily sustenance , the life force sees that it is being supported from within, and wonders how this is so. The mind then says: “The solids on which the body used to depend are nothing more than gross condensations of energy. You are pure energy. And you are pure consciousness.” Then, whatever command the mind impinges on the consciousness of the life force it will manifest accordingly.

Excerpt 3 (pg 106)

Detach Yourself!

2007-01-02T07:17:00.000+05:30

From space I am observing the galaxy and the stars. The space is absolutely undisturbed and peaceful. From where I see the universe with all the galaxies, solar systems, stars within it, everything is calm and quiet. The minute I became the star i.e. the sun I was nothing but turmoil, a hot ball of gaseous chaos. And the responsibility of the planets around me needed my attention. The next moment I detached myself and was looking back from space again, once again I was in the ocean of peace.
Detach yourself from your body and you will be in that peaceful calm eternal Bliss. Once you start attaching yourself with the body you will be engulfed in the misery of the world.
Detach Yourself!

O Jesus, the Lord!

2006-12-25T00:15:00.000+05:30

(Sacred Heart Church, Singapore, X-mas Eve '06)

O Jesus, the Lord!

I do not seek Thy pots
But I seek the Potter

I do not seek Thy building
But I seek the Architect

I do not see Thy painting
But I seek the Painter

I do not seek Thy Gifts
But I seek only Thee, But I seek only Thee

O Jesus, the Lord!

Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda

2006-12-23T10:01:00.000+05:30

Words are not enough to describe the divinity of Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, one of the greatest saints to walk this earth. His love for God has awakened many dormant souls to walk the path of Self Realization. His book 'Autobiography of a Yogi' takes us through the enchanting journey of his life. This is not a book but an experience which will take you to a higher state of being. Never before written account of the great saints of India finds a mention in this book. This book will bring about a Spiritual Revolution and should be experienced by all.

Jai Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda!

As I go to Him

2006-12-19T12:39:00.001+05:30

A soul who has just left his body is talking to his grieving friends.

Oh why do you cry!
As I go to Him

Emancipated from my worldly dream
Soon again I shall dream

Some day, will be liberated in the infinite
Never again to be confined to the finite

Wish I could tell you all
Life is just a dream for all

If only, you had realized the Truth
Together would have reveled in the Truth

I am Happy now, I am Ecstatic now,
I am the Infinite Bliss now

Oh why do you grieve!
As I go to Him

….walk The Path….

2006-09-29T01:40:00.000+05:30

how many breaths will you take……
how many lives will you live……
how many times will you die……
till you realize the true purpose of life……
till you realize your true Self……
……’cause you are destined to walk The Path one day
……why wait for tomorrow when you can walk today?

The Timer of Life........

2006-09-12T19:28:00.000+05:30

"........tick, tick, tick, tick, tick........."

Realize my friends you just lost 5 seconds of your life.

Time is ticking.................

The Dream Called Life

2006-08-13T21:16:00.000+05:30

Dreams provoke your being to answer the question ‘What is Real?’
I once had a dream which goes as follows
‘ Walking in a jungle one day I noticed a lion at a far of distance, before I could actually start running it appeared right before me, slowly my heart began pumping harder, my veins started pulsating as it got closer and I could see myself getting ripped between the sharp teeth of the beast. That was the end of me or so I thought’
and in that fearful state of mind I suddenly woke up with a jolt. My heart still beating faster and faster till I realized that was just a dream.
For those puny seconds my whole life was more ‘real’ than it is now, Imagine if we extend these puny seconds to our complete lifetime on this earth then can we say that our life resembles a Dream.

So
Is life ‘Real’ or this is all just a long ‘Dream’?